February 15-24 Marathon – Coral Lagoon Marina

 

As we foresee our stay in Marathon coming to a close, we make sure that we do the last few things on our “to-do-list”.  Those things included visiting the local Air Museum at the marathon airport, biking out on the old bridge to Pigeon Key and a picnic lunch, shopping at the huge Nautical Flea Market in Islamorada, biking on Coco Plum, and a boat ride by our hosts, Jim and Pat, into Boot Key to look at all the moored boats and see the area by water.

Pat and Colletta boating in Boot Key Harbor

 

    We also continued to participate in many of the activities that we have enjoyed here in the Keys.  These include our weekly Bocce ball games followed by dinner,

the 11th Street Bocce Ball League

 

 wonderful music at Springers by a variety of talented musicians,

A blue grass circle of talented musicians at Springer's

They go around the circle and every one can sing or play a tune of their choice. they just tell the other musicians what chords they will play and then everyone joins in.

 

 bike rides to do exploring and necessary shopping, and fishing when the weather permits.   It was been an unusually cool and windy week.  It is no fun biking into a 25 mph wind – both directions.  The temperature was 43 one morning and never got out of the 50w.  No complaints though, just unusual for the Keys.   Our new experiences for this week have been how tasty a McDonalds Hot Fudge Sundae can taste at 930pm, the discovery of a new crockpot recipe dessert of Molten Chocolate cake; compliments of Jim Childs, the 11^th street neighborhood cocktail party with a wide variety of appetizers, and a AGLCA cocktail party at the Marathon Yacht club where we caught up with old cruising friends and meeting new ones. 

On Thursday Jim, his friend Gene and I traveled to Everglades National Park in Homestead, Fl to view a NIKE missile base from the cold war era. Our guide Leon Howell, a retired Coast Guard, was incredibly great. He was so passionate about the era and the men who had served there, it was very moving for me. I grew up having one of these bases a few blocks from my boyhood home just south of Chicago in Homewood. It is funny how you forget some things and then they come back again when you see something like this tour. I can hardly recommend this tour if you get to south Florida.

Leon Howell, retired coast Guard, and our tour guide at the NIKE Missile site in Everglades National Park. He was great and very passionate about listening to the whispers of the men who had served here. I found it very moving and informative.

Back in the day they took this very seriously.

An actual NIKE missile in one of the launch buildings

 

 

We have enjoyed our stay at Coral Lagoon Marina in Marathon.  We have been blessed to have the hospitality of Jim and Pat for 5 weeks and share time with them.  We have met some wonderful people and some interesting characters at the marina that enjoy boating and the water as much as we do.  The dock parties and music experiences are a great part of the Keys boating experience. 

It is time to start traveling again.  The sea is calling Tom and we are ready for another new experience.   “A boat is safe in the harbor but that is not what a boat is made for.”